


Love Is Habit Forming

by Ressick



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: Calzona-All-Ways AU Meet-Cute Challenge, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-25
Updated: 2016-08-25
Packaged: 2018-08-11 01:22:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7870027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ressick/pseuds/Ressick
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For the Calzona All Ways AU meet-cute challenge.  ~*~oneshot~*~</p>
            </blockquote>





	Love Is Habit Forming

  
  


Callie Torres wasn’t quite sure how her life had ended up like this.

No, wait, she did.  Getting disowned by her parents was the start of it all.  No, wait, go back to the beginning.  The Peace Corps.  On the days she wasn’t completely emotionally or physically exhausted by the amazing work she was doing, she spent time with her bunkmate, Sadie.  One thing led to another, and Callie realized she was bisexual.  Bringing her new girlfriend home once back in the States had seemed like a good idea at the time.  Her father disowning her and her mother spitting at her was, instead, the result.  Sadie went off to graduate school and Callie took the one thing she had left – her car – to get the hell out of Miami.

A cross-country road trip funded by the cash she kept her in sock drawer led her to Vegas.  Where she found a job as a lounge singer, and a man she married while drunk.  George wasn’t so bad, she thought, until he started cheating on her with his best friend, Izzie.  But she was Catholic, and took her vows seriously, even if George didn’t.  That wasn’t the worst of it, though.  No, that was two days ago, when she witnessed George – who she  _ thought _ was just a club promoter – murder some guy named Denny in cold blood.  Her innocent, sweet, cheater of a husband was really a mobster.  And the surly cop who’d taken on her case had decided to stash her in a convent of all places.

“Karev, do you really think I’m not gonna stick out like a sore thumb?  They’re nuns for fuck’s sake!”

“Better watch your mouth around the sisters or you’ll blow your cover, Torres,” he growled back.  “And this is the best place I got.  No one is gonna look for you here.”  

“But a  _ nun _ ?  I went to Catholic school.  I know how brutal those women can be,” she protested as he led her up the steps to Our Lady of Grace convent.

“Better a ruler across the knuckles than a slug in your chest,” he opined.  “C’mon, Mother Superior is waiting.  Besides, these are like, progressive nuns.”  

Callie couldn’t help but roll her eyes at that concept.  Her parents were devout, and that was the reason they gave for disowning her.  Since then, her relationship with her faith had been rocky at best.

Mother Superior was a short, no-nonsense woman called Bailey who was wearing slacks and a hip-length tunic.  She waved away Callie’s confused stare, “Sister Mary Blank is not something our order does.”  Even the ubiquitous habit from her childhood schooling was absent, instead the sisters they’d passed in the hall dressed in that generic nun style that let anyone who grew up Catholic spot a nun at thirty paces.  Callie swore it was the orthopedic shoes.  Bailey studied her newest ‘novitate’ with a dispassionate gaze.  “Well, you can’t dress like that here.”  

Callie glanced down at herself.  Loose slacks that still managed to perfectly hug her ass, a v-necked tshirt with a particularly deep v, and a leather jacket.  “What’s wrong with my clothes?”

One raised eyebrow had her shrinking back, “Because while we don’t require wearing a habit, we do dress slightly more modestly, Miss Torres.  Not having to worry about how we look helps save time we could better spend in good works.  Or prayer.  Well.  I’m sure we have something you can wear.  We even still have some habits - it  _ would _ let you blend in, especially if you’re transferring in from another convent.”

That was how Callie ended up wearing parts of a habit – though not the kind she had seen nuns wear as a child.  Instead it was an ankle-length tunic, belt, scapular, and her hair simply braided.  It was fairly comfortable, loose-fitting and easy to move in, though getting used to the hemline would take time.  As would the comfortable if unattractive orthopedic shoes.  Her crack about nunneries getting a bulk discount on the footwear only earned a glare from Bailey.

Karev smirked when he saw her dressed, “Well, no one is gonna recognize you like  _ that _ .”

Bailey lightly slapped him across the back of his head and he flinched, mumbling an apology.  “Now, we do need some help with our choir, so that will give you something to do while with us,” she said to Callie.  “From here on out, Miss Torres, you’ll be Sister Iphegenia.”

She couldn’t help the grimace that crossed her face, “I hate my middle name.”

“But it is a name you’ll respond to, and Karev here tells me your husband doesn’t even know about it.  Best to disguise you as simply as possible,” Bailey retorted.  

A soft knock on the door caught all their attention.  “You called for me, Bailey?” came a voice from the hall.

“Come on in,” Bailey said, waving in a perky redhead.  She turned to Callie, “This is Sister April, my right hand here.  April, this is Sister Iphegenia.  Why don’t you show her around?”

“Welcome!” said the younger woman wearing a novitiate’s veil, before bounding up to Callie with a hand out.  Callie shook it numbly.  “Well, c’mon, best to get you settled before I have choir practice.”

“Sister Iphegenia will be joining the choir, April.  She has quite a lot of experience with music,” Bailey noted.

“Oh, that’s great!”  She started walking down the hall, Callie following behind with the suitcase Bailey had scrounged up, containing a few precious personal possessions, toiletries Karev had bought that morning, and the spare clothing that had been found for her to wear at the convent.  She barely heard April chattering away.

“And when Sister Alma passed, we didn’t have anyone who could play piano very well so my best friend, who’s a lay associate for the convent, comes for every rehearsal to accompany us.  It’s why we have rehearsal so late in the day, so she can come after work,” April said as she opened the door to Callie’s cell.  “Well, this is it!  Get settled, and I’ll be back for you in about half an hour.  Oh, this is wonderful!  You’ll just love the choir!”

Callie collapsed on the single bed as soon as she was alone.  The room was mostly bare.  Just a single bed, nightstand, and small dresser.  Even the closet was empty but for a spare blanket on the top shelf and a few hangers.  The only decoration on the wall was a large crucifix.  She side-eyed the dying Jesus and let the suitcase fall to the floor.  She cried for a moment before moving to put away the few things she had – shampoo and conditioner, body wash, deodorant, toothbrush and toothpaste, and a dozen pairs of underwear.  At least that was her own, grabbed along with her passport and cell phone in a mad dash as she fled George.  The passport and cell were now with Karev, and she had a new driver’s license saying she was Iphegenia Ruiz.  The random pieces of clothing that Bailey had provided her were hung in the closet.  Skirts and blouses, a few parts of habits, all in drab colors.  Not even the striking black she liked to wear but the dull black of a second or third hand serge scapular.

Everything was away by the time April returned, and Callie hoped she could just blend in, avoid any talking.  While singing – performing – was something she could do, just  _ talking _ to crowds of people made her vomit.  And these were the women she had to convince that she was a nun, like them.  

April bounded into a large bright room where they could hear someone playing scales – a simple warm up.  Callie herself could just about manage Chopsticks and knew the keyboard enough to find a starting note, but she couldn’t play beyond that.  The room was filled with a large group of nuns, in various outfits and all clutching worn hymnals.  The only woman who didn’t set off Callie’s nun radar was at the piano, finishing her warm up.  Loose slacks and a men’s button down stood out even amongst these diverse nuns.  The sneakers, styled blonde hair, and light makeup also set her apart.  Callie noticed a cane leaning against the piano bench as well.

“Okay, ladies, let’s get started!” said the blonde as she arranged some sheet music.

April coughed at Callie’s side, drawing the pianist’s attention.  “April?”

“This is Sister Iphegenia.  She just transferred from another convent,” April said, gesturing.

A warm smile made Callie’s stomach tumble.  The deep blue eyes had her heart pounding.  “Welcome, Sister.  Soprano, alto, or tenor?”

Callie coughed herself.  “Soprano.”

April skittered over to the pile of spare hymnals, grabbing one for Callie and directing her to the soprano section.

Rehearsal passed in a blur.  Callie was pretty sure attempted murder negated any marriage vows, so she’d spent the previous night in a police safe house adjusting to the end of her marriage to George then that morning had asked Karev to suggest lawyers who could help her get divorced, once George was in jail and she was safe.  

Then, on her first day as a newly-single woman (in heart if not by law), she found herself in the presence of the most stunning woman she’d ever met.  Who was playing piano for her best friend the nun’s choir.  She glanced over at the ever-present crucifix on the wall.  God sure did have a sense of humor.  Blue eyes met her over the sheet music and her voice cracked mid-note, garnering a worried glance from April beside her.

Was the pianist wearing  _ labrys earrings _ ?  In a  _ convent _ ?

Maybe Karev’s description of the convent as progressive wasn’t completely inaccurate.

“Okay, that was great, sisters!” said the pianist as the last song of rehearsal ended.  The room immediately became a chattery mess of noise.  Unsure how to get back to her cell, or what to do next, Callie lingered behind April as the redhead bound over to the piano.  She held a hand that was immediately grasped as the pianist used it to easily rise from the bench.  Cane in hand, the blonde carefully balanced herself before drawing April into an enthusiastic hug.  After a moment, the two women separated and Callie found herself the object of the pianist’s full attention, again.  Butterflies erupted in her stomach.  “You have a lovely voice.”  She laughed softly, “Sorry, I’m Arizona Robbins.”  She stuck out her hand, “Great to meet you, and welcome to Our Lady of Grace!”

Tongue tied, Callie shook the other woman’s hand.  Her palm was warm and soft and her grip was firm.  

“Can you join us for dinner tonight, Arizona?” April asked, interrupting the moment Callie found herself adrift in.

“Of course.  I just need to go grab Sofia,” the blonde nodded.

“You left her with Teddy,” April rolled her eyes.  “Just text Teddy and we’ll all meet up at dinner.”

“I wanted to look over her homework.”

“Well then let’s all go together,” April suggested, “It’s almost time for dinner.  Hungry, Sister Iphegenia?”

Callie couldn’t help it when her stomach audibly growled at the thought of food.  The other women laughed and April drew both of them out of the rehearsal space, through the winding corridors of the convent.

April leaned over towards Callie as they went, “Teddy is the church groundskeeper.  She watches Sofia while Arizona’s in rehearsal with us.  You’ll like them both.”

By the time they made it to the dining room, there was a wave of human conversation echoing through the hall.  A childish yell stood out, and Callie saw Arizona stop to brace herself as a whirlwind of a kid bounded up to them.  “Mama!  Auntie Sister April!”  The little girl was adorable in corduroy overalls and a tee shirt covered in butterflies, her hair in careful braids.  She looked, physically, nothing like Arizona but she had the exact same smile as her mother.  The girl threw herself at Arizona, grinning.  The hand that Arizona wasn’t using to grip her cane wrapped around the girl’s shoulders as a wide smile crossed pink lips.

“Sister Iphegenia, this is my little miracle, Sofia,” Arizona introduced.  Letting go of her mama, Sofia bounced over to offer Callie her hand.  Utterly charmed, Callie could only smile back.

A cough at their back precluded any further introductions.  “April, why don’t you take our newcomer to sit next to you?” Bailey said from behind them.

“Of course, Bailey,” April tugged Callie along as Arizona and Sofia joined them.  She found herself sitting next to April with Arizona across from her.  On Sofia’s other side was a tall, skinny blonde in work pants and a sweaty tee shirt, who was distracting Sofia while Arizona cut up her dinner with discussion of all the flowers they had planted together while the choir was in rehearsal.

Callie couldn’t help but feel like it was a common routine amongst the group.  She leaned over to April and couldn’t help but ask, “Are they… are they  _ together _ ?”  She noticed the worried look April gave her and hastened to add, “Not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course.”

“Teddy is Arizona’s sister-in-law.”  April gave her the most curious look when Callie couldn’t stop a small smile.  “Her ex-wife left when Arizona wanted to adopt Sofia,” she added, obviously testing Callie.

Callie frowned, “That’s horrible.”

April gave her a warm smile for that response.

Sofia’s laughter exploded from the little girl, catching everyone’s attention.  The women all smiled dotingly at her, and Arizona’s laughter soon followed her daughter’s.  Callie felt her heart pound.  She was smitten.

~end~

**Author's Note:**

> look, i got this idea while falling asleep.  it’s pure crack.  yes, sister act happens to be one of my fave movies. and yes, i did attend catholic school for 5 years but no a nun never hit me.


End file.
